Former Staffer at Mark Twain Museum Admits Theft

An employee of the Mark Twain House and Museum pleaded guilty Friday to wire fraud and filing false income tax returns after she was charged with stealing more than $1 million from the Hartford, Conn. nonprofit.

Donna Gregor worked as a controller for the charity for more than 20 years. The museum said she was fired last year after it discovered that she had been pocketing funds for more than a decade.

The museum, which works to preserve the home where Mark Twain penned classics like “Huckleberry Finn,” suffered severe budgetary shortfalls during that time and faced potential closure before it was bailed out by donors.

Gregor used the money to pay credit card, car and mortgage payments, as well as for home improvement, theater tickets and dining out, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office in Connecticut.

“The Trustees and the staff were devastated by this event, particularly in light of its occurrence during a period when hundreds of supporters and other committed people worked so hard and selflessly to bring the Mark Twain House & Museum from a large structural deficit just a few years ago to a current modest operating surplus,” said Gregory Boyko, president of the museum’s board of trustees. “Despite the significant unrecovered losses from 2002 to 2007, we want to assure everyone that our current financial condition is sound.”

Gregor’s lawyer declined to comment until sentencing is complete.

Gregor faces a maximum prison term of 23 years and up to a $2 million fine. She will also have to pay restitution to the charity and its insurance company, which paid the nonprofit $500,000 as a result of the loss.